Three-dimensionally integrated circuit devices including oxidation suppression layers

ABSTRACT

A vertically integrated circuit device can include a substrate having a first region reserved for first functional circuits of the vertically integrated circuit device, where the first functional circuits has a substantially constant top surface level across the first region and having a second region reserved for second functional circuits of the vertically integrated circuit device and spaced apart from the first region. The second functional circuits can have a varied top surface level across the second region. A doped oxidation suppressing material can be included in the substrate and can extend from the first region to the second region at an interface of the substrate with the first functional circuits and the second functional circuits, respectively.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0167754, filed onNov. 27, 2015, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/239,054; filed in the U.S. Patent andTrademark Office on Oct. 8, 2015, the entire contents of each of whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to the field of semiconductors, and inparticular, to three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices.

BACKGROUND

The integration of typical two-dimensional or planar semiconductordevices may be mainly determined by the area occupied by a unit memorycell and may be influenced by the level of a fine pattern formingtechnology. However, the expensive processing equipment that may beneeded to increase pattern fineness may set a practical limitation onthe increase in the level of integration for two-dimensional or planarsemiconductor devices. To overcome such a limitation, there have beenrecently proposed three-dimensional semiconductor memory devicesincluding three-dimensionally arranged memory cells.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a vertically integrated circuit device can includea substrate having a first region reserved for first functional circuitsof the vertically integrated circuit device, where the first functionalcircuits has a substantially constant top surface level across the firstregion and having a second region reserved for second functionalcircuits of the vertically integrated circuit device and spaced apartfrom the first region. The second functional circuits can have a variedtop surface level across the second region. A doped oxidationsuppressing material can be included in the substrate and can extendfrom the first region to the second region at an interface of thesubstrate with the first functional circuits and the second functionalcircuits, respectively.

In some embodiments, a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device caninclude an oxidation suppressing layer in a substrate and a plurality ofstacks on the oxidation suppressing layer, where each of the stacksincludes a horizontal gate insulating layer on the oxidation suppressinglayer, and insulating layers and electrodes are alternately andvertically stacked on the horizontal gate insulating layer. A pluralityof vertical structures can pass through the stacks and connect to thesubstrate.

In some embodiments, a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device caninclude a substrate including a cell array region, a peripheral circuitregion, and a connection region between the cell array region and theperipheral circuit region. A plurality of stacks can extend from thecell array region to the connection region, where each stack includes ahorizontal gate insulating layer, and insulating layers and electrodesalternately and vertically stacked on the horizontal gate insulatinglayer. An oxidation suppressing layer can be in the substrate, where theoxidation suppressing layer is in contact with the horizontal gateinsulating layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments will be more clearly understood from the followingbrief description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.The accompanying drawings represent non-limiting, example embodiments asdescribed herein.

FIG. 1 is a plan view exemplarily illustrating a chip layout of athree-dimensional semiconductor memory device according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a three-dimensionalsemiconductor memory device according to some example embodiments of theinventive concepts.

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of a three-dimensionalsemiconductor memory device according to some example embodiments of theinventive concepts.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a three-dimensional semiconductor memory deviceaccording to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

FIGS. 5A to 14A are sectional views, which are taken along line I-I′ ofFIG. 4 to illustrate a method of fabricating a three-dimensionalsemiconductor memory device according to some example embodiments of theinventive concepts.

FIGS. 5B to 14B are sectional views, which are taken along line II-II′of FIG. 4 to illustrate a method of fabricating a three-dimensionalsemiconductor memory device according to some example embodiments of theinventive concepts.

FIGS. 15A to 17A are enlarged sectional views illustrating portions ‘A’of FIGS. 11A to 13A, respectively.

FIGS. 15B to 17B are enlarged sectional views illustrating portions ‘B’of FIGS. 11B to 13B, respectively.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating a portion ‘C’ of FIG.14B.

FIGS. 19A and 19B are enlarged sectional views illustrating portions ‘A’and ‘B’ respectively, which are taken along lines I-I′ and respectively,to illustrate a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device accordingto some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

FIGS. 20A to 20E are enlarged sectional views, each of which illustratesa portion ‘D’ of FIG. 14B and illustrate a data storing layer of athree-dimensional semiconductor memory device according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts.

FIG. 21 is a circuit diagram illustrating a portion of athree-dimensional semiconductor memory device according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view, which is taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 4 toillustrate a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device according tosome example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

FIGS. 23A and 23B are sectional views, which are taken along lines I-I′and respectively, of FIG. 4 to illustrate a three-dimensionalsemiconductor memory device according to some example embodiments of theinventive concepts.

FIGS. 24A and 24B are enlarged sectional views illustrating portions ‘A’and ‘B’, respectively, of FIG. 23A, and FIG. 24C is an enlargedsectional view illustrating a portion ‘C’ of FIG. 23B.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of a three-dimensional semiconductor memorydevice according to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

FIG. 26 is a sectional view of a three-dimensional semiconductor memorydevice according to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

It should be noted that these figures are intended to illustrate thegeneral characteristics of methods, structure and/or materials utilizedin certain example embodiments and to supplement the written descriptionprovided below. These drawings are not, however, to scale and may notprecisely reflect the structural or performance characteristics of anygiven embodiment, and should not be interpreted as defining or limitingthe range of values or properties encompassed by example embodiments.For example, the relative thicknesses and positioning of molecules,layers, regions and/or structural elements may be reduced or exaggeratedfor clarity. The use of similar or identical reference numbers in thevarious drawings is intended to indicate the presence of a similar oridentical element or feature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventive concepts will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsof the inventive concepts are shown. The inventive concepts and methodsof achieving them will be apparent from the following exemplaryembodiments that will be described in more detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The embodiments of the inventive concept may,however, be embodied in different forms and should not be constructed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled inthe art.

As used herein, the singular terms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be understood that when an element is referred to asbeing “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it may be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent.

Similarly, it will be understood that when an element such as a layer,region or substrate is referred to as being “on” another element, it canbe directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present.In contrast, the term “directly” means that there are no interveningelements. Additionally, the embodiment in the detailed description willbe described with sectional views as ideal exemplary views of theinventive concepts. Accordingly, shapes of the exemplary views may bemodified according to manufacturing techniques and/or allowable errors.Therefore, the embodiments of the inventive concepts are not limited tothe specific shape illustrated in the exemplary views, but may includeother shapes that may be created according to manufacturing processes.

Exemplary embodiments of aspects of the present inventive conceptsexplained and illustrated herein include their complementarycounterparts. The same reference numerals or the same referencedesignators denote the same elements throughout the specification.

FIG. 1 is a plan view exemplarily illustrating a chip layout of athree-dimensional semiconductor memory device according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts. FIG. 2 is a block diagramillustrating a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device accordingto some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

Referring to FIG. 1, a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device mayinclude a cell array region CAR and a peripheral circuit region. Theperipheral circuit region may include at least one row decoder regionROW DCR, at least one page buffer region PBR, and at least one columndecoder region COL DCR. Furthermore, a connection region CNR may beprovided between the cell array region CAR and each row decoder regionROW DCR.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a memory cell array 1 including a pluralityof memory cells may be provided on the cell array region CAR. The memorycell array 1 may further include word and bit lines electricallyconnected to the memory cells, in addition to the memory cells. Thememory cell array 1 may include a plurality of memory blocks BLK0-BLKn,each of which is configured to independently perform an erase operation.The memory cell array 1 will be described in more detail with referenceto FIG. 3.

In each row decoder region ROW DCR, a row decoder 2 may be provided toallow for selection of the word lines provided in the memory cell array1. An interconnection structure may be provided on the connection regionCNR to electrically connect the memory cell array 1 to the row decoder2. The row decoder 2 may be configured to select a specific one of thememory blocks BLK0-BLKn of the memory cell array 1 and moreover aspecific one of the word lines of the selected memory block, dependingon address information. In addition, the row decoder 2 may be configuredto provide word-line voltages, which are generated by a voltagegenerator, to the selected word line and un-selected word lines, inresponse to control signals from a control circuit.

In each page buffer region PBR, at least one page buffer 3 may beprovided to read out data stored in the memory cells. Depending on anoperation mode, each page buffer 3 may execute a process of temporarilystoring data to be stored in the memory cells or of reading out datastored in the memory cells. For example, the page buffer 3 may functionas a write driver in a program operation mode or as a sense amplifier ina read operation mode.

A column decoder 4 connected to the bit lines of the memory cell array 1may be provided in each column decoder region COL DCR. The columndecoder 4 may be configured to provide data-transmission paths betweenthe page buffer 3 and an external device (e.g., a memory controller).

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating a cell array of athree-dimensional semiconductor memory device according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts,

Referring to FIG. 3, a cell array of a semiconductor memory deviceaccording to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts mayinclude a common source line CSL, a plurality of bit lines BL, and aplurality of cell strings CSTR disposed between the common source lineCSL and the bit lines BL.

The bit lines BL may be two-dimensionally arranged and the plurality ofthe cell strings CSTR may be connected in parallel to each of the bitlines BL. The cell strings CSTR may be connected in common to the commonsource line CSL. That is, the plurality of the cell strings CSTR may bedisposed between the common source line CSL and one of the bit lines BL.As an example, the cell array may include a plurality oftwo-dimensionally arranged common source lines CSL. In some embodiments,the common source lines CSL may be connected with each another and be inan equipotential state, but in certain embodiments, the common sourcelines CSL may be electrically separated from each other such that theycan be controlled independently.

Each of the cell strings CSTR may include a ground selection transistorGST coupled to the common source line CSL, a string selection transistorSST coupled to the bit line BL, and a plurality of memory celltransistors MCT disposed between the ground and string selectiontransistors GST and SST. The ground selection transistor GST, the memorycell transistors MCT, and the string selection transistor SST may beconnected in series.

Sources regions of the ground selection transistors GST may be connectedin common to the common source line CSL. In addition, at least oneground selection line GSL, a plurality of word lines WL0-WL3, and aplurality of string selection lines SSL may be disposed between thecommon source line CSL and the bit lines BL to serve as gate electrodesof the ground selection transistor GST, the memory cell transistors MCT,and the string selection transistors SST, respectively. Furthermore,each of the memory cell transistors MCT may include a data storageelement or a data storing layer.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a three-dimensional semiconductor memory deviceaccording to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts. FIGS.5A to 14A and 5B to 14B are sectional views illustrating a method offabricating a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device according tosome example embodiments of the inventive concepts. In detail, FIGS. 5Ato 14A are sectional views, each of which is taken along line I-I′ ofFIG. 4, and FIGS. 5B to 14B are sectional views, each of which is takenalong line of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 15A to 17A are enlarged sectional views illustrating portions ‘A’of FIGS. 11A to 13A, respectively, and FIGS. 15B to 17B are enlargedsectional views illustrating portions ‘B’ of FIGS. 11B to 13B,respectively. FIG. 18 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating aportion ‘C’ of FIG. 14B.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5A, and 5B, a substrate 10 may include the cellarray region CAR, the connection region CNR, and a peripheral circuitregion PR. The connection region CNR may be positioned between the cellarray region CAR and the peripheral circuit region PR.

The substrate 10 may be one of semiconductor materials (e.g., a siliconwafer), insulating materials (e.g., a glass), or semiconductor orconductive materials covered with an insulating material. For example,the substrate 10 may be a silicon wafer of a first conductivity type.

Peripheral logic circuits may be provided on the peripheral circuitregion PR of the substrate 10 to read or write data from or to thememory cells. The peripheral logic circuits may include row and columndecoders 2 and 4, the page buffer 3, and the control circuits 5, asdescribed with reference to FIG. 2. For example, the peripheral logiccircuits may include NMOS and PMOS transistors, resistors, andcapacitors, which are electrically connected to the memory cells.

For example, a device isolation layer 21 may be formed on the peripheralcircuit region PR of the substrate 10 to define a peripheral activeregion ACT. A peripheral gate electrode 23 may be formed to cross theperipheral active region ACT, and a peripheral gate insulating layer 22may be formed between the peripheral gate electrode 23 and the substrate10. The peripheral gate electrode 23 may be formed of or include atleast one of doped polysilicon, metal silicides, or metals, and theperipheral gate insulating layer 22 may be a silicon oxide layer formedby a thermal oxidation process. Also, source/drain regions 24 may beformed at both sides of the peripheral gate electrode 23 by implantingN-type or P-type dopant ions into the active region ACT of the substrate10.

After the formation of the peripheral logic circuits, a peripheralinsulating layer 25 may be formed to cover the substrate 10 providedwith the peripheral logic circuits. The peripheral insulating layer 25may include a plurality of insulating layers (for example, including atleast one of a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, a siliconoxynitride layer, or low-k dielectric layers).

Referring to FIGS. 4, 6A, and 6B, the peripheral insulating layer 25 maybe patterned to form a peripheral insulating pattern 25P exposing thecell array region CAR and the connection region CNR of the substrate 10.As a result of the formation of the peripheral insulating pattern 25P, aperipheral logic structure PSTR may be formed on the peripheral circuitregion PR of the substrate 10, and here, the peripheral logic structurePSTR may include the peripheral gate insulating layer 22, the peripheralgate electrode 23, the source/drain regions 24, and the peripheralinsulating pattern 25P.

The formation of the peripheral insulating pattern 25P may includeforming a mask pattern on the peripheral insulating layer 25 to coverthe peripheral circuit region PR and etching the peripheral insulatinglayer 25 using the mask pattern as an etch mask.

For example, the peripheral insulating layer 25 may be etched by anetching process using plasma. The etching process may be a plasmaetching process, a reactive ion etching (RIE) process, a radio frequencyinductively-coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) process, or anion beam etching (IBE) process.

As an example, the process of etching the peripheral insulating layer 25may be performed using an etching gas containing a fluorocarbon(CxFy)-based gas or a hydrofluorocarbon (CxHyFz)-based gas. For example,the etching gas may contain at least one of CF₄, C₃F₈, C₄F₈, or CH₂F₂.

In some embodiments, after the formation of the peripheral insulatingpattern 25P, an oxidation suppressing layer 11 may be formed on thesubstrate 10 exposed by the peripheral insulating pattern 25P. Theoxidation suppressing layer 11 may be formed adjacent to a top surfaceof the substrate 10. For example, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 mayinclude an oxidation suppressing material (e.g., carbon C, nitrogen N,or fluorine F). The oxidation suppressing layer 11 may be formed to havea thickness ranging from about 50 Å to 150 Å.

In the case where the etching gas containing carbon and fluorine is usedin the process of etching the peripheral insulating layer 25 usingplasma, carbon atoms in the etching gas may be ionized. Such carbon ionsmay be used to form the oxidation suppressing layer 11 on the topsurface of the substrate 10 exposed by the peripheral insulating pattern25P. In other words, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 may be formed insitu during the etching process for forming the peripheral insulatingpattern 25P. Also, a carbon concentration in the oxidation suppressinglayer 11 may be changed depending on RF power condition in the plasmaetching process. For example, if the plasma etching process is performedwith high RF power, an amount of carbon ions to be infiltrated into theexposed surface of the substrate 10 may be increased.

In certain embodiments, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 may be formedby implanting the oxidation suppressing material into the substrate 10,and the peripheral insulating pattern 25P may be used as an ionimplantation mask in such an ion implantation process.

In some embodiments, after the formation of the peripheral insulatingpattern 25P, a well impurity layer 10P of a first conductivity type maybe formed in the substrate 10 exposed by the peripheral insulatingpattern 25P. For example, the well impurity layer 10P may be formed inthe cell array region CAR and the connection region CNR of the substrate10. The well impurity layer 10P may be formed by implanting impuritiesof the first conductivity type into the substrate 10. If the wellimpurity layer 10P is formed, the substrate 10 may include asemiconductor layer of a second conductivity type, and the well impuritylayer 10P may be formed in the semiconductor layer of the secondconductivity type.

In certain embodiments, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 may be formedby implanting the oxidation suppressing material into the substrate 10,and the process of implanting the oxidation suppressing material may beperformed as a part of the process of forming the well impurity layer10P.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 7A, and 7B, a mold structure 100 may be formed onthe substrate 10 to cover the cell array region CAR and the connectionregion CNR. The mold structure 100 may be formed to have a thicknessdecreasing stepwise in a direction from the connection region CNR towardthe peripheral circuit region PR (a staircase structure).

For example, the formation of the mold structure 100 may include forminga layered structure on the substrate 10 and performing a trimmingprocess on the layered structure.

In some embodiments, the layered structure may be formed to cover thesubstrate 10 of the cell array region CAR and the peripheral logicstructure PSTR. The layered structure may include a buffer insulatinglayer ILDa formed on the substrate 10, and sacrificial and insulatinglayers SL and ILD alternately and vertically stacked on the bufferinsulating layer ILDa. The buffer insulating layer ILDa may be a siliconoxide layer, which may be formed by a thermal oxidation process or adeposition process. In some example embodiments, the buffer insulatinglayer ILDa may be formed on the oxidation suppressing layer 11 and maycontact the oxidation suppressing layer 11.

In the layered structure, the sacrificial layers SL may be formed of amaterial, which can be etched with a high etch selectivity with respectto the insulating layers ILD. For example, the sacrificial layers SL andthe insulating layers ILD may be selected in such a way that they have ahigh etch selectivity in a wet etching process using a chemical solutionand a low etch selectivity in a dry etching process using an etchinggas. As an example, the sacrificial layers SL and the insulating layersILD may be formed of insulating materials having an etch selectivitywith respect to each other. In other words, the sacrificial layers SLmay be formed of an insulating material different from the insulatinglayers ILD. For example, the sacrificial layers SL may be at least oneof a silicon layer, a silicon oxide layer, a silicon carbide layer, asilicon germanium layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, a silicon nitridelayer, or low-k dielectric layers. The insulating layers ILD may be atleast one of a silicon layer, a silicon oxide layer, a silicon carbidelayer, a silicon oxynitride layer, a silicon nitride layer, or low-kdielectric layers, but it may be formed of a material selected to bedifferent from the sacrificial layers SL. For example, the sacrificiallayers SL may be formed of a silicon nitride layer, and the insulatinglayers ILD may be formed of a low-k dielectric layer. In certainembodiments, the sacrificial layers SL may be formed of a conductivematerial, and the insulating layers ILD may be formed of an insulatingmaterial.

The sacrificial layers SL and the insulating layers ILD may be depositedby a thermal chemical vapor deposition (thermal CVD) process, aplasma-enhanced CVD process, a physical CVD process, or an atomic layerdeposition (ALD) process.

In the layered structure, the sacrificial layers SL may be formed tohave substantially the same thickness. Alternatively, the uppermost andlowermost layers of the sacrificial layers SL may be formed to bethicker than the others therebetween. The insulating layers ILD may havesubstantially the same thickness or at least one of the insulatinglayers ILD may have a different thickness from the others. Furthermore,the buffer insulating layer ILDa, which is the lowermost layer of thelayered structure, may be formed to be thinner than the sacrificiallayers SL and the insulating layers ILD thereon. For example, the bufferinsulating layer ILDa may have a thickness smaller than the minimumthickness of the insulating layers ILD.

Thereafter, a trimming process of patterning the layered structure maybe performed to form the staircase structure on the connection regionCNR. In detail, the trimming process may include steps of forming a maskpattern to cover the layered structure on the cell array region CAR andthe connection region CNR, etching the layered structure using the maskpattern as an etch mask, etching the mask pattern to reduce a planararea of the mask pattern, and removing the mask pattern, and the stepsof etching the layered structure and the mask pattern may be repeatedseveral times, before removing the mask pattern. As a result of thetrimming process, the mold structure 100 may be formed on the cell arrayregion CAR and the connection region CNR of the substrate 10. The moldstructure 100 may be spaced apart from the peripheral logic structurePSTR and the substrate 10 may be partially exposed between the moldstructure 100 and the peripheral logic structure PSTR. The moldstructure 100 may have a staircase structure, whose thickness decreasesin a direction from the connection region CNR toward the peripheralcircuit region PR. In other words, the insulating layers ILD and thesacrificial layers SL may have end portions positioned on the connectionregion CNR, and the insulating layers ILD and the sacrificial layers SLmay have an area that decreases with increasing distance from the topsurface of the substrate 10. In other words, the thickness of the moldstructure 100 may decrease in a stepwise manner, when viewed in thedirection from the connection region CNR toward the peripheral circuitregion PR.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, an filling insulation layer 120may be formed on the substrate 10 to cover the mold structure 100 andthe peripheral logic structure PSTR. The filling insulation layer 120may be formed of an insulating material having an etch selectivity withrespect to sacrificial layers.

The formation of the filling insulation layer 120 may include depositingan insulating layer on the substrate 10 to cover the mold structure 100and the peripheral logic structure PSTR and then performing aplanarization process on the insulating layer. As a result, the fillinginsulation layer 120 may be formed to cover the end portions of thesacrificial layers SL of the mold structure 100 on the connection regionCNR and to cover the peripheral logic structure PSTR on the peripheralcircuit region PR and may have a flat top surface. In some embodiments,the filling insulation layer 120 may cover a portion of the oxidationsuppressing layer 11 exposed between the mold structures 100 and theperipheral logic structure PSTR.

The filling insulation layer 120 may be formed of at least one of, forexample, high density plasma (HDP) oxide, tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS), plasma-enhanced TEOS, O₃-TEOS, undoped silicate glass (USG),phosphosilicate glass (PSG), borosilicate glass (BSG),borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), fluoride silicate glass (FSG),spin-on-glass (SOG), tonen silazene (TOSZ), or any combination thereof.In addition, the filling insulation layer 120 may include or may furtherinclude a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, or a low-kdielectric layer.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 8A, and 8B, a plurality of vertical holes H and DHmay be formed to penetrate the mold structure 100. In some embodiments,the vertical holes H and DH may include cell vertical holes H formed onthe cell array region CAR and dummy vertical holes DH formed on theconnection region CNR.

In some example embodiments, the formation of the vertical holes H andDH may include forming a mask pattern on the mold structure 100 andanisotropically etching the mold structure 100 using the mask pattern asan etch mask. In certain embodiments, the top surface of the substrate10 may be over-etched during the anisotropic etching process, and thus,a portion of the top surface of the substrate 10 exposed by the verticalholes H and DH may be recessed to have a specific depth. In someembodiments, the vertical holes H and DH may be formed to penetrate theoxidation suppressing layer 11 and thereby to expose the well impuritylayer 10P in the substrate 10. The vertical holes H and DH may be formedin such a way that its lower width is less than its upper width.

Furthermore, when viewed in a plan view, the cell vertical holes H maybe arranged along a specific direction or in a zigzag pattern. The dummyvertical holes DH may be formed to penetrate the end portions of thefilling insulation layer 120 and the sacrificial layers SL. Since thedummy vertical holes DH are formed on the connection region CNR, thenumber of the sacrificial layers SL intersecting with the dummy verticalholes DH is inversely proportional to a distance between the dummyvertical hole DH and the peripheral circuit region PR.

In some embodiments, the dummy vertical hole DH may be formed topenetrate the end portions of some of the sacrificial layers SL and maybe spaced apart from each other by a predetermined space, but theinventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, in certainembodiments, the dummy vertical hole DH may be formed to penetrate theend portion of one of the sacrificial layers SL. Alternatively, theformation of the dummy vertical holes DH may be omitted.

Next, a lower semiconductor pattern LSP may be formed in lower regionsof the vertical holes H and DH.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP may be provided to penetrate the oxidationsuppressing layer 11 and be in contact with the well impurity layer 10P.In other words, a bottom surface of the lower semiconductor pattern LSPmay be positioned at a level lower than the top surface of the substrate10 and the bottom surface of the oxidation suppressing layer 11. Inaddition, the lower semiconductor pattern LSP may be in contact withsidewalls of some of the sacrificial and insulating layers SL and ILD,which are provided at a lower level of the mold structure 100. The lowersemiconductor pattern LSP may be formed to cover the sidewall of atleast one of the sacrificial layers SL. A top surface of the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP may be positioned between an adjacent pair ofthe sacrificial layers SL.

The lower semiconductor pattern LSP may be formed by a selectiveepitaxial growth (SEG) process, in which using the substrate 10 exposedby the vertical holes H and DH is used as a seed layer. Accordingly, thelower semiconductor pattern LSP may be a pillar shape structure, whichis formed to fill the lower region of each of the vertical holes H andDH. In this case, the lower semiconductor pattern LSP may have asingle-crystalline structure, or a poly-crystalline structure having agrain size greater than that of a semiconductor material formed by a CVDtechnique. The lower semiconductor pattern LSP may include silicon, butthe inventive concepts are not limited thereto. For example, the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP may include at least one of carbon nanostructures, organic semiconductor materials, and compound semiconductormaterials. Alternatively, the lower semiconductor pattern LSP may beformed of a poly-crystalline semiconductor material (e.g.,poly-crystalline silicon).

The lower semiconductor pattern LSP may be formed to have the sameconductivity type as the substrate 10. The lower semiconductor patternLSP may be doped in situ during the selective epitaxial growth process.Alternatively, the lower semiconductor pattern LSP may be doped by anadditional ion implantation process, after the formation of the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 9A, and 9B, upper semiconductor patterns USP maybe formed in the vertical holes H and DH provided with the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP. As a result, vertical structures VS may beformed in the cell vertical holes H, and dummy vertical structures DVSmay be formed in the dummy vertical holes DH. Here, each of the verticalstructures VS may include the lower semiconductor pattern LSP and theupper semiconductor pattern USP, and each of the dummy verticalstructures DVS may include the lower semiconductor pattern LSP and theupper semiconductor pattern USP.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the upper semiconductorpattern USP may include a first semiconductor pattern SP1 and a secondsemiconductor pattern SP2. The first semiconductor pattern SP1 may becoupled to the lower semiconductor pattern LSP and may have a pipe ormacaroni shape with closed bottom and open top. An inner space of thefirst semiconductor pattern SP1 may be filled with the insulatinggap-fill pattern VI. In addition, the first semiconductor pattern SP1may be in contact with an inner surface of the second semiconductorpattern SP2 and the top surface of the lower semiconductor pattern LSP.In other words, the first semiconductor pattern SP1 may allow the secondsemiconductor pattern SP2 to be electrically connected to the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP. The second semiconductor pattern SP2 may beshaped like a hollow pipe or macaroni whose top and bottom are open. Thesecond semiconductor pattern SP2 may be spaced apart from (i.e.,non-contacting) the lower semiconductor pattern LSP. The first andsecond semiconductor patterns SP1 and SP2 may be in an undoped state ormay be doped to have the same conductivity type as the substrate 10. Thefirst and second semiconductor patterns SP1 and SP2 may be formed of orinclude at least one of doped or intrinsic semiconductor materials(e.g., of silicon Si, germanium Ge, or compounds thereof). Furthermore,the first and second semiconductor patterns SP1 and SP2 may be formed tohave one of polycrystalline, amorphous, and single-crystallinestructures. Each of the first and second semiconductor patterns SP1 andSP2 may be a poly silicon layer formed by one of ALD and CVD processes.

Conductive pads PAD may be formed on the upper semiconductor patternsUSP, respectively. Each of the conductive pads PAD may be a dopedimpurity region or may be formed of a conductive material.

Furthermore, in some example embodiments, before the formation of theupper semiconductor pattern USP, a vertical insulating pattern VP may beformed in each of the vertical holes H and DH, as shown in FIGS. 15A and15B. The vertical insulating pattern VP may include one or more layers.In some example embodiments, the vertical insulating pattern VP mayserve as a part of the data storing layer. For example, the verticalinsulating pattern VP may include a charge storing layer, which mayserve as a memory element of a FLASH memory device. The charge storinglayer may be a trap insulating layer or an insulating layer withconductive nanodots. In certain embodiments, the vertical insulatingpattern may include at least one layer exhibiting a phase-changeable orvariable resistance property.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 10A, and 10B, a capping insulating layer 125 maybe formed on the filling insulation layer 120 to cover top surfaces ofthe vertical structures VS and DVS. Next, the capping insulating layer125 and the mold structure 100 may be patterned to form trenches Texposing the substrate 10.

For example, the formation of the trenches T may include forming a maskpattern on the mold structure 100 to define positions of the trenches T,and then, anisotropically etching the mold structure 100 using the maskpattern as an etch mask.

The trenches T may be formed to be spaced apart from the verticalstructures VS and to expose sidewalls of the sacrificial layers SL andthe insulating layers ILD. The trenches T may be formed to have a linearor a rectangular shape extending in a first direction D1, when viewed ina plan view, and also, the trenches T may be formed to expose the topsurface of the substrate 10. The formation of the trenches T may beperformed in an over-etching manner, and thus, the top surface of thesubstrate 10 exposed by the trenches T may be partially recessed. Insome example embodiments, although the anisotropic etching process isused to form the trenches T, the trenches T may be formed to have aninclined or curved sidewall.

As a result of the formation of the trenches T, the mold structure 100may have a plurality of line-shape portions extending in the firstdirection D1. Also, a plurality of the vertical structures VS may beprovided to pass through each of the line-shaped portions of the moldstructure 100.

In some example embodiments, after the formation of the trenches T,common source regions CSR may be formed in the substrate 10 exposed bythe trenches T. The common source regions CSR may extend parallel toeach other and in the first direction D1 and may be spaced apart fromeach other in a second direction D2. For example, the common sourceregions CSR may be formed in the well impurity layer 10P between themold structures 100 and adjacent to the sidewalls of the mold structures100. The common source regions CSR may be formed by doping the substrate10 with impurities having a conductivity type different from that of thesubstrate 10. For example, the common source regions CSR may includen-type impurities (e.g., arsenic (As) or phosphorus P).

Referring to FIGS. 4, 11A, and 11B, the sacrificial layers SL exposed bythe trenches T may be removed to form gate regions GR between theinsulating layers ILD.

The formation of the gate regions GR may include isotropically etchingthe sacrificial layers SL using an etch recipe having an etchselectivity with respect to the buffer insulating layer ILDa, theinsulating layers ILD, the vertical structures VS, and the substrate 10.Here, the sacrificial layers SL may be fully removed by the isotropicetching process. For example, in the case where the sacrificial layersSL are formed of a silicon nitride layer and the insulating layers ILDare formed of a silicon oxide layer, the etching step may be performedby an isotropic etching process using an etching solution containingphosphoric acid. Furthermore, the vertical insulating pattern VP may beused as an etch stop layer in the isotropic etching process for formingthe gate regions GR. The gate regions GR may extend horizontally fromthe trench T and be formed between the insulating layers ILD.Accordingly, a sidewall of the vertical insulating pattern VP or thevertical structure VS may be partially exposed by the gate regions GR.In other words, each of the gate regions GR may be defined by verticallyadjacent ones of the insulating layers ILD and the sidewall of thevertical insulating pattern VP.

In some example embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, thelowermost one of the gate regions GR may be formed to expose a portionof the sidewall of the lower semiconductor pattern LSP and to expose thebuffer insulating layer ILDa. As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the bufferinsulating layer ILDa exposed by the gate region GR may have a firstthickness t1, after the formation of the gate regions GR. In someexample embodiments, the first thickness t1 may be greater than or equalto a thickness of the oxidation suppressing layer 11.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 12A, and 12B, a vertical gate insulating layer 13may be formed on the sidewall of the lower semiconductor pattern LSPexposed by the gate region GR, and a horizontal gate insulating layerILDb may be formed on the surface of the oxidation suppressing layer 11.

In some example embodiments, the vertical gate insulating layer 13 andthe horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may be formed by a thermaltreatment process, in which an oxygen-containing gas is used as anambient gas. In this case, the vertical gate insulating layer 13 and thehorizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may be selectively formed on asurface, depending on whether a surface includes silicon atoms topromote a reaction with the oxygen-containing gas.

For example, referring to FIGS. 16A and 16B, the vertical gateinsulating layer 13 may be formed by a chemical reaction between oxygenatoms, which are supplied during the thermal oxidation process, andsilicon atoms, which are present on the lower semiconductor pattern LSP.In other words, silicon atoms of the lower semiconductor pattern LSPexposed by the gate region GR may be consumed during the thermaloxidation process. Accordingly, after the formation of the vertical gateinsulating layer 13, the lower semiconductor pattern LSP may be narrowerat a middle portion that is exposed by the gate region GR compared to anupper portion in contact with the insulating layer. In addition, thevertical gate insulating layer 13 may have a rounded surface.

The horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may be formed by a chemicalreaction between oxygen atoms, which are supplied during the thermaloxidation process, and silicon atoms of the substrate 10, because thebuffer insulating layer ILDa is thin enough to allow oxygen atoms topass therethrough during the thermal oxidation process. Accordingly,silicon atoms of the substrate 10 under the buffer insulating layer ILDamay be consumed to allow the buffer insulating layer ILDa to have anincreased thickness, and as a result, the horizontal gate insulatinglayer ILDb may be formed on the substrate 10. In other words, as shownin FIGS. 16A and 16B, the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may havea second thickness t2 that is greater than the first thickness t1 (e.g.,shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B) of the buffer insulating layer ILDa beforethe thermal oxidation process. For example, the second thickness t2 maybe greater than the thickness of the oxidation suppressing layer 11. Thesecond thickness t2 may be less than a thickness of each of theinsulating layers ILD. Also, the second thickness t2 may besubstantially equal to the thickness of the vertical gate insulatinglayer 13. For example, the second thickness t2 of the horizontal gateinsulating layer ILDb may range from about 100 Å to about 150 Å.

In some example embodiments, the buffer insulating layer ILDa maycontact the oxidation suppressing layer 11, and in this case, due to theoxidation suppressing material in the oxidation suppressing layer 11, itis possible to suppress silicon atoms of the substrate 10 from beingconsumed during the thermal oxidation process for forming the verticalgate insulating layer 13. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce adifference in thickness of the horizontal insulating layer between thecell array region CAR and the connection region CNR.

In more detail, a structural difference of the mold structure 100 in thecell array region CAR compared to that of the connection region CNR maylead to a difference in amount of oxygen atoms, which will be suppliedinto the substrate 10 during the thermal oxidation process, between thecell array region CAR and the connection region CNR. For example, sincethe mold structure 100 having a stepwise structure and the fillinginsulation layer 120 is disposed on the connection region CNR, an amountof oxygen atoms supplied into the substrate 10 of the connection regionCNR during the thermal oxidation process may be less than an amount ofoxygen atoms supplied into the substrate 10 of the cell array regionCAR. Accordingly, the thickness of the horizontal gate insulating layerILDb may be greater in the cell array region CAR than in the connectionregion CNR, but due to the presence of the oxidation suppressing layer11, it is possible to suppress oxidation of the substrate 10 on the cellarray region CAR and the connection region CNR and thereby to reduce adifference in thickness of the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDbbetween the cell array region CAR and the connection region CNR. In someexample embodiments, on the cell array region CAR and the connectionregion CNR, the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may have asubstantially uniform thickness (e.g., the second thickness t2). Incertain embodiments, the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may bethicker on the cell array region CAR than on the connection region CNR.

Furthermore, since oxygen atoms are supplied to the gate region GRthrough the trenches T during the thermal oxidation process, a thicknessof a portion of the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb adjacent tothe trenches T may be different from that of another portion adjacent tothe sidewall of the lower semiconductor pattern LSP. For example, thehorizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may have a thickness thatdecreases in a direction from the trench T toward the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP. However, according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts, since the oxidation suppressinglayer 11 reduces the consumption of silicon atoms of the substrate 10during thermal oxidation process, it is possible to reduce a differencein thickness between the portions of the horizontal gate insulatinglayer ILDb, which are positioned adjacent to the trench T and the lowersemiconductor pattern LSP, respectively.

Moreover, since, during the formation of the vertical gate insulatinglayer 13 and the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb, the verticalinsulating pattern VP on the upper semiconductor pattern USP is exposedby the gate regions GR, a silicon oxide layer may not be formed in thegate regions GR adjacent to the upper semiconductor pattern USP.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 13A, and 13B, a horizontal insulating pattern HPmay be formed to conformally cover inner surfaces of the gate regionsGR. Referring to FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 18, the horizontal insulatingpattern HP may be formed to have a substantially uniform thickness onthe inner surfaces of the gate regions GR. The horizontal insulatingpattern HP may be formed to have a single- or multi-layered structure.In a charge-trap type FLASH memory device, the horizontal insulatingpattern HP may serve as a part of a data storing element of a memorytransistor.

Thereafter, electrodes EL may be formed in the gate regions GR providedwith the horizontal insulating pattern HP. The electrodes EL may beformed to partially or wholly fill the gate regions GR.

The formation of the electrodes EL may include forming a gate conductivelayer to fill the gate regions GR provided with the horizontalinsulating pattern HP and then removing the gate conductive layer fromthe trenches T to form the electrodes EL in the gate regions GR,respectively. Here, the formation of the electrodes EL may includesequentially depositing a barrier metal layer and a metal layer. Thebarrier metal layer may be formed of or include at least one of metalnitride materials (e.g., TiN, TaN, or WN). The metal layer may be formedof or include at least one of metallic materials (e.g., W, Al, Ti, Ta,Co, or Cu).

As a result of the formation of the electrodes EL, the insulating layersILD and the electrodes EL may be alternately and vertically stacked onthe substrate 10, thereby forming the stacks ST. The stacks ST mayextend in the first direction D1 and may have the sidewalls exposed bythe trenches T. The substrate 10 may be partially exposed betweenadjacent ones of the stacks ST.

In the stacks ST, the lowermost one of the electrodes EL may be adjacentto (and function with) the lower semiconductor patterns LSP of thevertical structures VS and DVS, as shown in FIG. 18. Here, a distance Dabetween the sidewalls of the lower semiconductor pattern LSP and thelowermost one of the electrodes EL adjacent thereto may be substantiallyequal to a distance Db between the bottom surface of the lowermost oneof the electrodes EL and the top surface of the oxidation suppressinglayer 11.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 4, 14A, and 14B, an insulating spacer SPmay be formed to cover sidewalls of the trenches T. The formation of theinsulating spacer SP may include conformally depositing a spacer layeron the substrate 10 provided with the stacks ST, and performing anetch-back process on the spacer layer to expose the common source regionCSR. Here, the spacer layer may be formed of an insulating material andmay be formed on the inner surfaces of the trenches T to have athickness less than about half the minimum width of the trench T. Thespacer layer may be formed of at least one of silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride, or low-k dielectric materials.

A common source plug CSP may be formed in each trench T provided withthe insulating spacer SP. In some example embodiments, the common sourceplug CSP may be provided between adjacent ones of the electrodes EL, andthe insulating spacer SP may be interposed between the electrodes EL andthe common source plug CSP. In other words, the insulating spacer SP maybe provided to cover both sidewalls of the common source plug CSP. Also,the common source plug CSP may extend parallel to the electrodes EL, andthe common source plug CSP may have a top surface positioned at a higherlevel than the top surfaces of the vertical structures VS.

Thereafter, referring to FIGS. 4, 14A, and 14B, an upper insulatinglayer 130 may be formed on the capping insulating layer 125 to cover thetop surface of the common source plug CSP. Next, bit line contact plugsBPLG may be formed to pass through the capping insulating layer 125 andthe upper insulating layer 130. The bit line contact plugs BPLG may becoupled to the vertical structures VS, respectively. In addition, bitlines BL extending in the second direction D2 may be formed on the upperinsulating layer 130. Each of the bit lines BL may be coupled to the bitline contact plugs BPLG.

Furthermore, contact plugs CPLG, CCP, PUPLG, PPLG, and PCP may be formedon the connection region CNR and the peripheral circuit region PR toelectrically connect the electrodes EL to the peripheral logic circuits.

The cell contact plugs CPLG may be formed on the connection region CNRto pass through the capping insulating layer 125 and the fillinginsulation layer 120, and each of the cell contact plugs CPLG may becoupled to a corresponding one of the end portions of the electrodes EL.Vertical lengths of the cell contact plugs CPLG may decrease withdecreasing distance from the cell array region CAR. Top surfaces of thecell contact plugs CPLG may be substantially coplanar with each other.The pick-up contact plug PUPLG may be formed to pass through the fillinginsulation layer 120 and may be coupled to a pick-up region 10PU. Here,the pick-up region 10PU may be doped to have the first conductivitytype, and a doping concentration of the pick-up region 10PU may behigher than that of the well impurity layer 10P. The pick-up contactplugs PUPLG may have top surfaces that are positioned at substantiallythe same level as the top surfaces of the cell contact plugs CPLG. Theperipheral contact plugs PPLG may be formed on the peripheral circuitregion PR to pass through the filling insulation layer 120 and theperipheral insulating pattern 25P and may be electrically coupled to theperipheral logic circuits.

Connection lines CCL may be formed on the upper insulating layer 130 ofthe connection region CNR, and may be connected to the cell contactplugs CPLG via first contact plugs CCP. Peripheral lines PCL may beformed on the upper insulating layer 130 of the peripheral circuitregion PR, and may be connected to the peripheral contact plugs PPLG viasecond contact plugs PCP. Also, a well conductive line PPL may be formedon the upper insulating layer 130 of the connection region CNR, and maybe connected to the pick-up contact plug PUPLG via third contact plugsPUCP.

Hereinafter, some examples of possible structures of a data storinglayer according to some example embodiments of the inventive conceptswill be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 20A to 20E.

In some example embodiments, the three-dimensional semiconductor memorydevice may be a NAND FLASH memory device. For example, a data storinglayer DS may be interposed between the stack ST and the verticalstructure VS and may include a tunnel insulating layer TIL, a chargestoring layer CIL, and a blocking insulating layer BLK. Data stored inthe data storing layer DS may be changed using a Fowler-Nordheim FNtunneling effect, which may be caused by a voltage difference betweenthe vertical structure VS and the electrode EL.

According to an example embodiment shown in FIG. 20A, the tunnelinsulating layer TIL, the charge storing layer CIL, and the blockinginsulating layer BLK may be vertically extended from regions between theelectrodes EL and the vertical structure VS to adjacent regions betweenthe insulating layer ILD and the vertical structure VS. In this case,the insulating layer ILD may contact the electrode EL.

According to an example embodiment shown in FIG. 20B, the tunnelinsulating layer TIL and the charge storing layer CIL may be verticallyextended from regions between the electrodes EL and the verticalstructure VS to adjacent regions between the insulating layer ILD andthe vertical structure VS. The blocking insulating layer BLK may behorizontally extended from the regions between the electrodes EL and thevertical structure VS to cover top and bottom surfaces of the electrodesEL.

According to an example embodiment shown in FIG. 20C, the tunnelinsulating layer TIL may be vertically extended from the regions betweenthe electrodes EL and the vertical structure VS to the adjacent regionsbetween the insulating layer ILD and the vertical structure VS, and thecharge storing layer CIL and the blocking insulating layer BLK may behorizontally extended from the regions between the electrodes EL and thevertical structure VS to cover the top and bottom surfaces of theelectrodes EL.

According to an example embodiment shown in FIG. 20D, the tunnelinsulating layer TIL, the charge storing layer CIL, and the blockinginsulating layer BLK may be horizontally extended from the regionsbetween the electrodes EL and the vertical structure VS to cover the topand bottom surfaces of the electrodes EL.

According to an example embodiment shown in FIG. 20E, the data storinglayer DS may include first and second blocking insulating layers BLK1and BLK2, which are formed of different materials. The tunnel insulatinglayer TIL, the charge storing layer CIL, and the first blockinginsulating layer BLK1 may be vertically extended from the regionsbetween the electrodes EL and the vertical structure VS to the adjacentregions between the insulating layer ILD and the vertical structure VS.The second blocking insulating layer BLK2 may be horizontally extendedfrom the regions between the electrodes EL and the first blockinginsulating layer BLK1 to cover the top and bottom surfaces of theelectrodes EL.

The data storing layer shown in FIGS. 20A to 20E, the charge storinglayer CIL may be one of an insulating layer with many trap sites and aninsulating layer with nano particles and may be formed by a CVD or ALDprocess. For example, the charge storing layer CIL may be formed of orinclude a trap insulating layer, a floating gate electrode, or aninsulating layer including conductive nano dots. In certain embodiments,the charge storing layer CIL may be formed of or include at least one ofa silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, a silicon-richnitride layer, a nanocrystalline silicon layer, or a laminated traplayer.

The tunnel insulating layer TIL may be one of materials having a greaterband gap than the charge storing layer CIL and be formed by a CVD or ALDprocess. For example, the tunnel insulating layer TIL may be a siliconoxide layer, which may be formed by one of the afore-describeddeposition techniques. Alternatively, the tunnel insulating layer TILmay be formed of or include one of high-k dielectrics (e.g., aluminumoxide and hafnium oxide).

The blocking insulating layer BLK may be one of materials, whose bandgaps are smaller than that of the tunnel insulating layer TL and largerthan that of the charge storing layer CL. The blocking insulating layerBLK may include at least one of high-k dielectrics (e.g., aluminum oxideand hafnium oxide). The blocking insulating layer BLK may be formed by aCVD or ALD process and may be formed by a wet oxidation process.

As shown in FIG. 20E, in the case where the data storing layer DSincludes the first and second blocking insulating layers BLK1 and BLK2,the first blocking insulating layer BLK1 may be formed of or include atleast one of high-k dielectric materials (e.g., aluminum oxide andhafnium oxide) and the second blocking insulating layer BLK2 may beformed of or include a material, whose dielectric constant is less thanthat of the first blocking insulating layer BLK1. In certainembodiments, the second blocking insulating layer BLK2 may be formed ofor include at least one of high-k dielectric materials, and the firstblocking insulating layer BLK1 may be formed of or include a material,whose dielectric constant is lower than that of the second blockinginsulating layer BLK2.

Data stored in the data storing layer DS of FIGS. 20A to 20E may bechanged using a Fowler-Nordheim FN tunneling effect, which may be causedby a voltage difference between the vertical structure VS and theelectrode EL. In certain embodiments, the data storing layer DS mayinclude a layer (for example, exhibiting a phase-changeable or variableresistance property), which is configured to store data therein based onother physical effect.

FIG. 21 is a circuit diagram illustrating a portion of athree-dimensional semiconductor memory device according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts. In a three-dimensionalsemiconductor memory device according to some example embodiments of theinventive concepts, a cell array region may include memory cells thatare three-dimensionally arranged on a substrate, as shown in FIG. 3. Aportion of such a cell array region is exemplarily illustrated in FIG.20, in order to reduce complexity in the drawings and to provide betterunderstanding of some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

Referring to FIG. 21, the string selection line SSL may be the uppermostone of the electrodes EL described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B.The uppermost ones of the electrodes EL may serve as gate electrodes ofthe string selection transistors SST for controlling electric connectionbetween the bit line BL and the vertical structures VS.

The ground selection line GSL may be the lowermost one of the electrodesEL described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. The lowermost ones ofthe electrodes EL may serve as gate electrodes of the ground selectiontransistors GSTa and GSTb for controlling electric connection betweenthe common source region CSR and the vertical structures VS. In someexample embodiments, each of the ground selection transistors GSTa andGSTb may consist of a pair of transistors, which are connected in seriesto each other and have gate electrodes connected to a single groundselection line. For example, each ground selection transistor mayinclude a vertical transistor GSTa, in which the lower semiconductorpattern LSP of the vertical structure VS is used as a channel regionthereof, and a horizontal transistor GSTb, in which the substrate 10adjacent to the lower semiconductor pattern LSP is used as a channelregion thereof.

The word lines WL may be some of the electrodes EL, which are providedbetween the uppermost and lowermost ones of the electrodes EL describedwith reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. The word lines WL, in conjunctionwith the vertical structures VS, may constitute the memory cells MCT.

In some example embodiments, the word lines WL and the ground selectionline GSL may be extended from the cell array region CAR to theconnection region CNR. Furthermore, on the connection region CNR, thedummy vertical structures DVS may pass through the stacks ST, as shownin FIGS. 14A and 14B. Accordingly, similar to the cell strings CSTR ofthe cell array region CAR, dummy strings DSTR may be provided on theconnection region CNR. On the connection region CNR, each of the dummystrings DSTR may be some of the word lines WL and the ground selectionline GSL, in conjunction with each of the dummy vertical structures DVSdescribed with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. Here, the dummy stringsDSTR may be electrically isolated from the bit lines.

In some example embodiments, the horizontal transistor GSTb of the cellstring CSTR and the horizontal transistor GSTb of the dummy string DSTRmay be electrically connected in common to a single ground selectionline GSL. The ground selection line GSL may be the lowermost one of theelectrodes EL described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. The groundselection line GSL may be used to control an electric potential of thesubstrate 10, and the horizontal transistors GSTb may have a thresholdvoltage that is dependent on the thickness of the horizontal gateinsulating layer ILDb described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. Insome example embodiments, the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb maybe in contact with the oxidation suppressing layer 11, and thus, thehorizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may have substantially the samethickness on the cell array region CAR and the connection region CNR. Inother words, it is possible to reduce a difference in thickness betweentwo portions of the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb, which areformed on the cell array region CAR and the connection region CNR,respectively. As a result, it is possible to reduce a variation inthreshold voltage of the ground selection transistors, which areprovided on the cell array region CAR and the connection region CNR,respectively, and are connected in common to the ground selection lineGSL.

FIGS. 19A and 19B are views of portions ‘A’ and ‘B’ of FIG. 13A,respectively, to illustrate examples of a three-dimensionalsemiconductor memory device according to some example embodiments of theinventive concepts.

Referring to FIGS. 19A and 19B, the substrate 10 may further include achannel impurity region 11P provided below the oxidation suppressinglayer 11. For example, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 may be formedbetween the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb and the channelimpurity region 11P. The channel impurity region 11P may be doped tohave the same conductivity type as the well impurity layer 10P, and adoping concentration of the channel impurity region 11P may be greaterthan that of the well impurity layer 10P. The channel impurity region11P may be used as the channel region of the ground selection transistorusing the lowermost one of the electrodes EL as the gate electrodethereof. A threshold voltage of the ground selection transistor may bechanged by adjusting a doping concentration of the channel impurityregion 11P. In some embodiments, a doping concentration of the firstconductivity type impurities included in the channel impurity region 11Pmay be greater than that of the oxidation suppressing material (e.g.,carbon C) included in the oxidation suppressing layer 11.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view, which is taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 4 toillustrate examples of a three-dimensional semiconductor memory deviceaccording to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

Referring to FIG. 22, the stacks ST may include the horizontal gateinsulating layer ILDb formed on the top surface of the substrate 10, andthe electrodes and the insulating layers alternately and verticallystacked on the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb. The oxidationsuppressing layer 11 may be formed in the substrate 10, and theoxidation suppressing layer 11 may include an oxidation suppressingmaterial (e.g., carbon C, nitrogen N, or fluorine F).

In some example embodiments, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 may beformed in the cell array region CAR of the substrate 10, and thehorizontal gate insulating layer ILDb may be in contact with theoxidation suppressing layer 11 in the cell array region CAR and may bein contact with the well impurity layer 10P in the connection regionCNR. On the cell array region CAR, the lower semiconductor patterns LSPof the vertical structures may be provided to pass through the oxidationsuppressing layer 11 and may be connected to the well impurity layer10P.

During the thermal oxidation process described with reference to FIGS.16A and 16B, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 may suppress or preventthe horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb on the cell array region CARfrom increasing a thickness of the horizontal gate insulating layerILDb. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce a difference in thickness ofthe horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb between the cell array regionCAR and the connection region CNR, even when there is a difference inoxidation rate between the cell array region CAR and the connectionregion CNR.

FIGS. 23A and 23B are sectional views, which are taken along lines I-I′and respectively, of FIG. 4 to illustrate an example of athree-dimensional semiconductor memory device according to some exampleembodiments of the inventive concepts. FIGS. 24A and 24B are enlargedsectional views illustrating portions ‘A’ and ‘B’, respectively, of FIG.23A, and FIG. 24C is an enlarged sectional view illustrating a portion‘C’ of FIG. 23B.

Referring to FIGS. 23A and 23B, the oxidation suppressing layer 11 maybe formed in the cell array region CAR and the connection region CNR ofthe substrate 10, and the stacks ST extending in a specific directionmay be disposed on the oxidation suppressing layer 11.

Each of the stacks ST may include the horizontal gate insulating layerILDb in contact with the oxidation suppressing layer 11, and theelectrodes EL and insulating layers ILD alternately and verticallystacked on the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDb.

On the cell array region CAR, the vertical structures VS may be providedto pass through the stacks ST and may be connected to the well impuritylayer 10P. On the connection region CNR, the dummy vertical structuresmay be provided to pass through the stacks ST and may be in contact withthe well impurity layer 10P. In some example embodiments, the verticalstructures VS may be configured without the lower semiconductor patternsLSP described in the previous embodiments.

As an example, each of the vertical structures VS may include the firstsemiconductor pattern SP1 in contact with the well impurity layer 10Pand the second semiconductor pattern SP2 interposed between the firstsemiconductor pattern SP1 and the data storing layer DS, as shown inFIGS. 24A to 24C. The first semiconductor pattern SP1 may be a pipe- ormacaroni-shaped structure with closed bottom, and an inner space of thefirst semiconductor pattern SP1 may be filled with an insulatinggap-fill pattern VI. The first semiconductor pattern SP1 may be incontact with an inner surface of the second semiconductor pattern SP2and a top surface of the well impurity layer 10P. In other words, thefirst semiconductor pattern SP1 may be provided to electrically connectthe second semiconductor pattern SP2 to the well impurity layer 10P.Furthermore, the first semiconductor pattern SP1 may have a bottomsurface that is positioned at a lower level than the top surface of thesubstrate 10. The bottom surface of the first semiconductor pattern SP1may be positioned at a lower level than the bottom surface of theoxidation suppressing layer 11. The second semiconductor pattern SP2 maybe shaped like a hollow pipe or macaroni whose top and bottom are open.The first and second semiconductor patterns SP1 and SP2 may be in anundoped state or may be doped to have the same conductivity type as thehorizontal semiconductor layer 110. The first and second semiconductorpatterns SP1 and SP2 may be provided to have a polycrystalline or singlecrystalline structure.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of a three-dimensional semiconductor memorydevice according to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts.

Referring to FIG. 25, a three-dimensional semiconductor memory devicemay include a lower peripheral logic structure PS and a cell arraystructure CS stacked on the lower peripheral logic structure PS. Inother words, the lower peripheral logic structure PS and the cell arraystructure CS may be overlapped with each other, when viewed in a planview.

In some example embodiments, the lower peripheral logic structure PS mayinclude the row and column decoders 2 and 4, the page buffer 3, and thecontrol circuits 5 previously described with reference to FIG. 1. Thecell array structure CS may include a plurality of memory blocksBLK0-BLKn, each of which is configured to independently perform an eraseoperation. The lower peripheral logic structure PS may be provided on aplane defined by first and second directions D1 and D2, and the memoryblocks BLK1-BLKn may be stacked on the lower peripheral logic structurePS in a third direction D3 normal to the plane. Each of the memoryblocks BLK1-BLKn may include a 3D memory cell array, in which memorycells are vertically stacked. The memory cell array may include aplurality of three-dimensionally arranged memory cells and a pluralityof word and bit lines electrically connected to memory cells (e.g., ofFIG. 2).

FIG. 26 is a sectional view illustrating an example of thethree-dimensional semiconductor memory device described with referenceto FIG. 25.

Referring to FIG. 26, the lower peripheral logic structure PS and thecell array structure CS may be sequentially stacked on the substrate 10.For example, the lower peripheral logic structure PS may be positionedbetween the substrate 10 and the cell array structure CS in theirvertical levels. In other words, when viewed in a plan view, theperipheral circuit region PR may be overlapped with the cell arrayregion CAR.

The substrate 10 may be, for example, a bulk silicon wafer, asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer, a germanium wafer, agermanium-on-insulator wafer, a silicon-germanium substrate, or asubstrate with an epitaxial layer formed by a selective epitaxial growth(SEG) process.

The lower peripheral logic structure PS may include the row and columndecoders 2 and 4, the page buffer 3, and the control circuits, asdescribed with reference to FIG. 1. In other words, the lower peripherallogic structure PS may include NMOS and PMOS transistors, at least oneresistor, and at least one capacitor which are electrically connected tothe cell array structure CS. Such peripheral circuits may be formed onthe substrate 10. The substrate 10 may include an n-well region nw dopedwith n-type impurities and a p-well region pw doped with p-typeimpurities. The n-well region nw and the p-well region pw may includeactive regions defined by the device isolation layer 21.

The lower peripheral logic structure PS may include peripheral gateelectrodes PG, source and drain impurity regions at both sides of eachof the peripheral gate electrodes PG, peripheral circuit plugs CP,peripheral circuit lines ICL, and a lower interlayered insulating layer90 covering peripheral circuits. For example, PMOS transistors may beformed on the n-well region nw, and NMOS transistors may be formed onthe p-well region pw. Peripheral circuit lines ICL may be electricallyconnected to the peripheral circuits via the peripheral circuit plugsCP. For example, the peripheral circuit plugs CP and the peripheralcircuit lines ICL may be connected to the NMOS and PMOS transistors.

The lower filling insulation layer 90 may be provided to cover theperipheral circuits, the peripheral circuit plugs CP, and the peripheralcircuit lines ICL. The lower filling insulation layer 90 may be amultilayered structure including a plurality of insulating layers.

The cell array structure CS may be provided on the lower fillinginsulation layer 90 and may include a horizontal semiconductor layer110, stacks ST, and vertical structures VS.

The horizontal semiconductor layer 110 may be formed on the top surfaceof the lower filling insulation layer 90 covering the peripheralcircuits. In other words, a bottom surface of the horizontalsemiconductor layer 110 may be in contact with the lower fillinginsulation layer 90. As described with reference to FIG. 4, thehorizontal semiconductor layer 110 may include the cell array region CARand the connection region CNR adjacent to the cell array region CAR.

The horizontal semiconductor layer 110 may be formed of or include asemiconductor material; the horizontal semiconductor layer 110 mayinclude at least one of silicon Si, germanium Ge, silicon germanium(SiGe), gallium arsenic (GaAs), indium gallium arsenic (InGaAs),aluminum gallium arsenic (AlGaAs), or compounds thereof. In certainembodiments, the horizontal semiconductor layer 110 may be formed of orinclude at least one of doped semiconductor materials (e.g., of a firstconductivity type) and/or intrinsic semiconductor materials. Thehorizontal semiconductor layer 110 may be formed to have one ofpolycrystalline, amorphous, and single-crystalline structures.

As an example, the horizontal semiconductor layer 110 may include theoxidation suppressing layer 11, and the stacks ST may be disposed on theoxidation suppressing layer 11.

As described with reference to FIG. 4, the stacks ST may be provided onthe horizontal semiconductor layer 110 to extend parallel to the firstdirection D1 and may be arranged spaced apart from each other in thesecond direction D2. Each of the stacks ST may include the electrodesEL, which are vertically stacked on the horizontal semiconductor layer110, and the interlayered insulating layers ILD, which are interposedbetween the electrodes EL. In addition, as described above, each of thestacks ST may further include the horizontal gate insulating layer ILDbthat is in contact with the oxidation suppressing layer 11.

As described above, the stacks ST may be provided to have a staircasestructure on the connection region CNR, and the staircase structure maymake it possible to allow the electrodes EL to be electrically connectedto the lower peripheral logic structure PS. The upper filling insulationlayer 120 may be provided on the horizontal semiconductor layer 110 tocover the end portions of the electrodes EL constituting the staircasestructure. The capping insulating layer 125 may be provided to cover thestacks ST and the upper filling insulation layer 120. The bit lines BLmay be provided on the capping insulating layer 125 to extend in thesecond direction D2 or cross the stacks ST. The bit lines BL may beelectrically connected to the vertical structures VS through bit linecontact plugs BPLG.

The vertical structures VS may be provided to pass through each of thestacks ST and may be electrically connected to the horizontalsemiconductor layer 110. In some example embodiments, each of thevertical structures may include the lower semiconductor pattern LSP andthe upper semiconductor pattern USP. Alternatively, each of the verticalstructures may include the first semiconductor pattern, which isprovided to pass through the stacks ST and is connected to thehorizontal semiconductor layer, and the second semiconductor patterninterposed between the stacks ST and the first semiconductor pattern, asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B, and 24C.

The data storing layer DS may be disposed between the stacks ST and thevertical structures VS.

The common source regions CSR may be provided between adjacent pairs ofthe stacks ST and in the horizontal semiconductor layer 110. The commonsource regions CSR may extend parallel to the stacks ST (i.e., in thefirst direction D1). The common source regions CSR may be formed bydoping the horizontal semiconductor layer 110 with impurities of thesecond conductivity type.

The common source plug CSP may be coupled to the common source regionCSR. The insulating spacer SP may be interposed between the commonsource plug CSP and the stacks ST. As an example, the common source plugCSP may extend in the first direction D1, and the insulating spacer SPbetween the stacks ST and the common source plug CSP may extend in thefirst direction D1. In certain embodiments, the insulating spacer SP maybe provided to fill a gap between adjacent ones of the stacks ST, andthe common source plug CSP may be provided to pass through theinsulating spacer SP and may be coupled to the common source region CSR.

The pick-up regions 10PU may be provided in a portion of the horizontalsemiconductor layer 110 that is spaced apart from the stacks ST. Thepick-up regions 10PU may be formed by doping the horizontalsemiconductor layer 110 with impurities of the first conductivity type.The pick-up regions 10PU may have the same conductivity type as thehorizontal semiconductor layer 110, and a doping concentration of thepick-up regions 10PU may be higher than that of the horizontalsemiconductor layer 110.

An interconnection structure may be provided on the end portions of thestacks ST (i.e., on the staircase structure) to electrically connect thecell array structure CS to the lower peripheral logic structure PS. Theupper filling insulation layer 120 covering the end portions of thestacks ST may be provided on the horizontal semiconductor layer 110, andthe interconnection structure may include contact plugs PLG, which areprovided through the upper filling insulation layer 120 and arerespectively connected to the end portions of the electrodes EL, andconnection lines CCL, which are provided on the upper filling insulationlayer 120 and are coupled to the contact plugs PLG. Vertical lengths ofthe contact plugs PLG may decrease with decreasing distance from thecell array region CAR.

Furthermore, the pick-up contact plugs PUPLG may be provided to passthrough the upper filling insulation layer 120 and may be coupled to thepick-up regions 10PU. The pick-up regions 10PU may be formed in thehorizontal semiconductor layer 110 and may be doped to have the sameconductivity type as the horizontal semiconductor layer 110. Here, adoping concentration of the pick-up regions 10PU may be higher than thatof the horizontal semiconductor layer 110.

The pick-up contact plugs PUPLG may be provided to have top surfacesthat are substantially coplanar with those of the contact plugs PLG. Thepick-up contact plug PUPLG may be connected to the lower peripherallogic structure PS through a well conductive line PCL and a connectionplug CNPLG.

The connection plug CNPLG may be provided to electrically connect thecell array structure CS to the lower peripheral logic structure PS. Theconnection plug CNPLG may be provided to pass through the upper fillinginsulation layer 120 and the horizontal semiconductor layer 110 and maybe connected to the peripheral circuit lines ICL of the lower peripherallogic structure PS.

According to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts, anoxidation suppressing layer may be formed in a top portion of asubstrate under a horizontal gate insulating layer. The oxidationsuppressing layer may allow the horizontal gate insulating layerextending from a cell array region to a connection region to have asubstantially uniform thickness. This may make it possible to reduce avariation in threshold voltage of ground selection transistors on thecell array region and the connection region.

While example embodiments of the inventive concepts have beenparticularly shown and described, it will be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art that variations in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the attachedclaims.

1. A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device, comprising: an oxidation suppressing layer in a substrate; a plurality of stacks on the oxidation suppressing layer, each of the stacks includes a horizontal gate insulating layer on the oxidation suppressing layer, and insulating layers and electrodes alternately and vertically stacked on the horizontal gate insulating layer; and a plurality of vertical structures passing through the stacks and connected to the substrate.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the vertical structures have respective bottom surfaces that extend beyond the oxidation suppressing layer into the substrate.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the oxidation suppressing layer includes carbon C, nitrogen N, or fluorine F. 4.-8. (canceled)
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the oxidation suppressing layer has a thickness less than a thickness of the horizontal gate insulating layer. 10.-11. (canceled)
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a cell array region, a peripheral circuit region, and a connection region between the cell array region and the peripheral circuit region, the stacks and the oxidation suppressing layer extends from the cell array region to the connection region, the stack on the connection region has a staircase structure, and a thickness of the stack on the connection region decreases stepwise in a direction toward the peripheral circuit region. 13.-16. (canceled)
 17. A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device, comprising: a substrate including a cell array region, a peripheral circuit region, and a connection region between the cell array region and the peripheral circuit region; a plurality of stacks extending from the cell array region to the connection region, wherein each stack includes a horizontal gate insulating layer, and insulating layers and electrodes alternately and vertically stacked on the horizontal gate insulating layer; and an oxidation suppressing layer in the substrate, the oxidation suppressing layer in contact with the horizontal gate insulating layer.
 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of stacks on the connection region has a staircase structure, and a thickness of the stack on the connection region decreases stepwise in a direction toward the peripheral circuit region.
 19. The device of claim 17, wherein the horizontal gate insulating layer has substantially equal thickness in the cell array region and in the connection region.
 20. The device of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of vertical structures in the cell array region, wherein the vertical structures penetrate the stacks and the oxidation suppressing layer to be connected to the substrate. 21.-23. (canceled)
 24. The device of claim 17, further comprising a peripheral logic structure on the peripheral circuit region of the substrate, the peripheral logic structure spaced apart from the stacks, wherein a portion of the oxidation suppressing layer is disposed between the stacks and the peripheral logic structure.
 25. The device of claim 17, wherein the oxidation suppressing layer has a thickness less than a thickness of the horizontal gate insulating layer.
 26. (canceled)
 27. A vertically integrated circuit device, comprising: a substrate; a first region of the substrate reserved for first functional circuits of the vertically integrated circuit device, the first functional circuits having a substantially constant top surface level across the first region; a second region of the substrate reserved for second functional circuits of the vertically integrated circuit device and spaced apart from the first region, the second functional circuits having a varied top surface level across the second region; and a doped oxidation suppressing material in the substrate extending from the first region to the second region at an interface of the substrate with the first functional circuits and the second functional circuits, respectively.
 28. The device of claim 27 wherein the device comprises a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device, the first region comprises a cell array region, and the second region comprises a connection region directly adjacent to the cell array region on the substrate.
 29. The device of claim 28 wherein the varied top surface level across the connection region has a staircase profile that descends away from the cell array region.
 30. The device of claim 29 further comprising: a horizontal gate insulating layer contacting the doped oxidation suppressing material, the horizontal gate insulating layer included in respective ground select transistors in the cell array region and in the connection region and having a uniform thickness in the cell array region and in the connection region.
 31. The device of claim 30 wherein the doped oxidation suppressing material has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the horizontal gate insulating layer.
 32. The device of claim 30 wherein the doped oxidation suppressing material comprises carbon C, nitrogen N, or fluorine F.
 33. The device of claim 28 wherein the three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes vertical stacks of memory cell transistors in the cell array region, the vertical stacks each including a lower semiconductor pattern that penetrates into the substrate beyond a lower limit of the doped oxidation suppressing material.
 34. The device of claim 33 further comprising: a vertical gate insulating layer directly on the lower semiconductor pattern adjacent to the horizontal gate insulating layer.
 35. The device of claim 34 wherein the vertical gate insulating layer has a convex profile. 